We live in exciting times.
These days, you can get some pretty good electric guitars and practice amps for ridiculously low prices.
And it’s not just no-name Chinese brands.
Some of the biggest names in the industry started fusing plain old solid-state amps with digital amp modeling processors.
The result are quality cheap amps that can replicate the tone of some old tube-driven amps.
One great example of such an amplifier is the Fender Mustang LT-25.
- Cheap but outperforms its price category
- Large variety of digital amp models and effects
- Integrated audio interface
- Might take some time to learn how to use all of the features
Read the rest of this review to learn all about it.
Table of Contents
Fender Mustang LT-25 Review: Overview And Features
The Fender Mustang LT-25 is a fairly simple amp that comes with some diverse modeling and tone-shaping options. This combo amplifier is pretty compact, rocking a small 8-inch speaker and a total of 25 watts of power.
In many ways, the LT-25 is similar to the larger models from the Mustang amp series and brings almost the same features in a smaller and more practical package. It is ideal as a practice amp, especially if you like to experiment with many different tones and style.
While it is most useful as a practice amplifier, 25 watts is enough for a smaller gig or for busking. 25 watts isn’t a huge amount of power for a solid-state amp, but you’ll be surprised at what it can do, given how cheap and small it is.
Obviously, you can’t expect mind-blowing tones, considering it only has a small 8-inch speaker. But it’s more than a great deal for the price. It is a great choice for beginners and intermediate players, and even for more experienced musicians who are looking for a fun little amp to practice with at home.
Key Features
- 25 watts of power
- 8-inch Fender Special Design speaker
- Onboard amp modeling and effects processor
- 50 presets
- Aux input
- Headphone output
- 1.8-inch display
- USB connectivity for preset making
- Cheap but outperforms its price category
- Large variety of digital amp models and effects
- Integrated audio interface
- Might take some time to learn how to use all of the features
Great Versatility
The Mustang LT-25 has a basic control panel with the usual controls. Aside from the master volume, there’s the individual channel volume, a 2-band EQ, and an input gain knob.
The amp features only one channel, but its tone-shaping capabilities come from the integrated amp modeling processing unit. So the individual channel volume here serves its purpose with various presets.
The interface also has a small display that shows you the current preset. Next to it, there is a dial knob that lets you choose from any of the saved presets. Next to that are additional controls that allow you to save these presets.
The control panel also comes with a footswitch input, auxiliary 1/8-inch input, 1/8-inch headphone output, and even a USB output that lets you connect to a computer and create new presets.
The Mustang LT-25 comes with a total of 20 different amplifier models, 25 effects, and up to 50 customizable presets. The footswitch is, unfortunately, not included. We recommended you get yourself one, because it allows you to easily recall any of the premade or custom presets.
Advantages And Disadvantages
Pros
- Great deal for the price: cheap, but very versatile
- Compact size makes it perfect both for practice and small live gigs
- Great selection of amp models and effects
- USB connectivity makes it easier to create new presets
Cons
- Some amp models and presets don’t sound very convincing
- You need to buy a foot switch separately
Fender Mustang LT-25 Vs. Bugera Infinium V5
There are a lot of different options on the modern market, when it comes to guitar amplifiers. But there is an especially strong demand for smaller amps with budget-friendly prices.
This usually means solid-state amps, but amazingly, you can even find some cheaper tube-driven amplifiers these days. Especially when you consider how much you’d have to pay for a tube amp in the past. The Bugera Infinium V5 is one such tube amp.
Like the LT-25, it is compact and sells for a great price. But it is a tube amp, not a solid-state amp. It only has 5 watts of power, but in a tube amp, that is sufficient for a small gig.
With the Infinium V5, you’ll want to make it a blues, blues rock, or jazz gig. These are the types of genres this amp specializes in.
The V5 has one 12AX7 tube in the preamp, and one EL84 tube in the power amp section. This classic “British” setting gives a slight boost to the mids, giving this amp an open way to cut through the mix more easily.
The Bugera Infinium V5 is far less versatile than Fender’s Mustang LT-25. Like all tube amps, it is specialized in a specific type of sound. In this case, as mentioned, a sound that works great for blues or jazz.
It definitely has a vintage tone and does a great job for its specific genres. Far better than the LT-25. But that amp is far more versatile and can give you many different types of sounds. It also costs quite a bit less.
Like the LT-25, the V5 has fairly simple controls and only one channel. You can achieve some distorted tones by pushing its input gain and output volume over the limits. But if you need some heavier stuff, you’ll need to pair it with a good overdrive pedal and get that punchy tube-driven tone with a lot of dynamic response to it.
Considering the low price for a tube-driven amp, Bugera’s Infinium V5 is definitely worth checking out if you’re looking for a good tube amp for blues, blues rock or jazz. The tone you get for the price is incredible and far beyond anything the LT-25 can give you. But if you need something more versatile, you’re much better off with Fender’s Mustang amp.
Learn more in our complete Bugera Infinium V5 review.
Fender Mustang LT-25: Conclusion And Rating
Fender has a huge variety of different amplifiers in their arsenal. Aside from the high-end models, they’re also famous for entry-level solid-state amplifiers with great potential for tone shaping.
Their Mustang series is a great example and the Fender Mustang LT-25 is a compact and practical member of that line.
Although it is primarily intended for beginners and intermediate players, this amp can serve you well if you’re an experienced busking musician or an advanced guitarist who needs a simple practice amp with some versatile options and effects.
For its price level, which is very low, the LT-25 does a great job in any of those settings. But its real strength is as budget a practice amp with a lot of versatility. We voted it the best electric guitar amp under $200 and gave it a Musicaroo rating of 4 out of 5.
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